


My Brother Bobo

by CarlsRightEye21



Series: Aoi, The Royal Big Brother [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Abuse, Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Aoi protects his siblings, Aoi raises his siblings, Azula and Zuko defect from the Fire Nation much earlier, Azula is taught morals, Character Death, Graphic depiction of death, Iroh wasn't a good uncle, Lesbian Relationship, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Siblings, Ursa wasn't a good mom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:55:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24511162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarlsRightEye21/pseuds/CarlsRightEye21
Summary: In an effort to look good for the people, Ozai adopts an Earthbending boy to show unity. Aoi is three years older than Zuko, five years older than Azula, and takes his role as a big brother seriously. Aoi is determined to bring his siblings up with good morals. He doesn't expect that to be his downfall.
Relationships: Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), OC & Azula, OC & Zuko
Series: Aoi, The Royal Big Brother [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782784
Comments: 16
Kudos: 206





	1. The Adoption

Aoi of the Earth Kingdom was born to two loving parents. His mother was a non-bender and his father was an Earth bender. 

When Aoi was three, his father was called to war with every other competent male Earth bender. When Aoi was five, he and his mother got a condolence from the army for their loss. 

When Aoi was six, he presented as an Earth bender but his mother couldn’t afford a teacher so he taught himself.

When Aoi was eight, his mother grew ill and despite the healer’s efforts, she passed. 

And Aoi was left an orphan. 

Aoi was put in an orphanage with a bunch of other orphans who had lost their parents to the Fire Nation or the war. The orphanage was crowded and didn’t get nearly enough money to feed all those mouths. Boys as young as fourteen would leave and enlist in the army for steady meals and a bed that they didn’t have to share. 

When Aoi was twelve and making plans to enlist, he got the news that he was being adopted. He was surprised because usually, nobody over the age of nine got adopted. 

Nobody had thought to tell Aoi that he had been adopted by the crown prince of the Fire Lord. 

He had no idea how to act as servants scrub dirt from his skin and cut his shaggy hair, dressing him in fine silk and neatly pinning his hair in a topknot. Aoi barely recognized himself in the mirror. 

He was then presented to his new parents and quickly learned that he was only adopted to make the prince look good. Ozai didn’t care about him. His adopted mother Ursa was kind. 

Aoi then met his new siblings. Zuko, who was nine, and Azula, who was seven. 

Both of his new siblings were far too serious and proper. When Aoi wasn’t learning proper etiquette or being taught Earth bending, he resolved to make his siblings laugh. 

Zuko was easy to get along with. Aoi found out that Zuko was behind a little in his studies in Firebending. So Aoi taught Zuko some katas that he made up himself and taught Zuko to balance better. With Aoi’s help, Zuko started to excel in his studies. 

Azula was a little harder to get along with. Aoi struggled to reach her. 

He decided to take her to see the stars that he remembered his mother teaching him about.

He crept into her room one night and shook her awake. 

“What do you want?” She demanded, glaring up at him with sleepy eyes. 

“I want to show you something,” Aoi smiled at her. “Please?”

“Can’t this wait?” Azula demanded and Aoi shook his head. “Fine.”

Azula slipped a pair of slippers on and warily followed Aoi out of his room. 

They crept along the hallway, avoiding guards and servants that roamed the nearly desolate halls. They finally reached the door to the courtyard and Azula pauses in the doorway. 

“I’ll get dirty,” Azula inspects the dirt. “They’ll know I went outside.”

Aoi paused before crouching. “Get on my back. I’ll carry you.”

Aoi was crouched for a long time, waiting before he felt a weight settle on his back. He wrapped his arms around Azula’s legs and carried her outside. 

Aoi pointed out each and every constellation he could remember and told the stories behind each one. They even saw a shooting star. 

They eventually maneuvered so that Aoi was merely carrying Azula on his hip and simply telling stories. 

Azula fell asleep on him and Aoi was content to hold his sister for a little longer before he made the trek back to her room. 

He did get caught by a servant. They stared at each other for a moment as the woman’s eyes flickered to Azula sleeping in his arms. 

Neither said anything as they warily passed each other and continued on their route. 

Aoi set Azula back in her bed, slipping the slippers off of her feet and tucking his little sister in. 

He wasn’t sure if he had truly bonded with Azula as he had with Zuko. 

A few nights later, Aoi was shaken awake and opened his eyes to his little sister’s face. 

“I want to see the stars,” Azula demanded. “And I don’t want to get dirty.”

Aoi grinned and carried her out to see the stars once again. 

* * *

It became quite clear to Aoi that Ursa liked Zuko a little more than Azula. Sure, Azula did naughty things but she never really meant any harm. Ozai didn’t favor Azula like Ursa favored Zuko. Ozai liked Azula because she was powerful. 

As Aoi was practicing Earth bending with his teacher, his sister darts into the field and Aoi stopped before she got hurt. 

“What’s wrong?” Aoi asked upon seeing Azula’s upset face. Azula’s face scrunched up like she was about to cry so Aoi glanced to his teacher. “Dismissed.”

The teacher didn’t dare argue, simply bowing and heading off. 

“What happened?” Aoi scooped Azula up into his arms like when they watched the stars. 

“Mommy said… she said…” Azula was quite clearly upset. “She said I’m a monster.”

Aoi was befuddled about why Ursa would say something like that. “You’re not a monster, you’re my little sister. What happened?” 

“I was trying to be like daddy,” Azula sniffled, resting her head against Aoi’s shoulder. “I use my firebending on a turtle-duck.”

Aoi’s stomach dropped but he listened. 

“It stopped moving. Zuzu cried and mommy grabbed me and spanked me,” Azula pushed her face into Aoi’s training tunic. “She called me a monster.”

Aoi wasn’t comfortable with calling Ozai and Ursa his parents but he does out of respect. 

“Mother shouldn’t have said that,” Aoi pushes Azula back a little so that he can look at her. “You are not a monster. I promise. I wouldn’t lie to you, would I?”

“No,” Azula shakes her head. “But mommy said--”

“Mother was wrong,” Aoi grips Azula’s shoulders. “Do you understand why you shouldn’t have burned the turtle-duck?”

Azula shakes her head. “Daddy does it.”

“You shouldn’t do things that Father does. You hurt the turtle-duck. You shouldn’t hurt things,” Aoi tells her. “You shouldn’t hurt anything.”

“But they’re smaller and weaker than me,” Azula sticks her lower lip out. “Daddy says that we have to rule over those.”

“Just because they’re smaller, doesn’t mean that you should hurt them,” Aoi lets Azula go and stands. “Do you see how much taller I am than you? I’m five years older than you. Does that mean that I should hurt you?”

“You’re my brother,” Azula said as though that was the answer. 

“I wasn’t always your brother. If I met you before I was adopted then should I still hurt you? You’re smaller than me,” Aoi comments and Azula shakes her head. “You shouldn’t hurt things. That’s wrong. That is why Mother was so upset.”

“So she was right?” Azula glared at her older brother. 

“No, Mother was wrong,” Aoi scooped Azula back up into his arms. “You’re not a monster. I promise.”

“Okay,” Azula wrapped her little arms around his neck. “I won’t hurt the turtle-ducks again. I promise.”

“You shouldn’t hurt anything. Promise?” Aoi questioned and Azula nods into his neck. 

“I promise.”

* * *

Aoi didn’t know his cousin very well. Lu Ten had died and Aoi could feel his father grasp for power. 

Azula waltzed up to him one day with a frown on her face. 

“Bobo,” The was Azula’s nickname for him. Zuko caught on and called him that too. Aoi shrugged and had let it go despite the fact that it made no sense. But hearing Azula say it with such a serious face worried him. 

“What’s wrong?” Aoi was fourteen now. 

“Daddy is gonna kill you or Zuzu,” Azula announced and Aoi had no doubt that she was serious. 

“What did he say?” Aoi kneels in front of his sister who was nine. 

Azula replays to him how Ozai tried to overthrow Iroh as the heir. Azulon didn’t like that and demanded Ozai to kill his eldest. 

“If he means oldest then that means you. If he means bloodline heirs then it’s Zuzu,” Azula tells him. “I don’t want you to die.”

“Neither me or Zuko is dying,” Aoi promised, wrapping his arms around her. “Thank you for letting me know.”

That night, with Zuko huddled under his covers in his older brother’s room, Aoi stands watch. 

Azula joins them part of the way through the night, curled up with Zuko as Aoi sits at the end of the bed in front of the door with a dagger that Zuko gave him for his birthday clenched in his hands. 

Azulon dies and Ursa disappears that night and not a hair on either of his sibling’s heads is out of place. 

Ozai is promoted to Fire Lord and Aoi is now the next heir to the throne. 

Ozai is power-hungry and Aoi starts going to lengths to protect his siblings. He constantly directs his father’s rage to him and takes the blame for anything his siblings do wrong. 

Azula asks why he winces and Aoi tells her it’s from training. 

Zuko asked where Aoi got the burn on his arm from and Aoi says he was sparring with another firebender. 

Aoi makes sure that Zuko and Azula know how important siblings are. He tells them to protect each other. He makes a bond between the two and soon Zuko and Azula are nearly inseparable. 

“I love you,” Aoi tells both of his siblings. 

“Father says that expressing love is weak,” Azula tells him and Aoi smiled at her gently. 

“Then we won’t tell each other. Let’s make a hand signal. That way we can tell each other and he won’t know,” Aoi tells them and they are eager. 

Zuko and Azula finally settle on a signal. Aoi uses it the most. Whenever his siblings need a ‘pick-me-up’ he will flash the signal to them. 

This continues for two years. Aoi is sixteen, Zuko is thirteen, and Azula is eleven when Zuko asks his uncle to accompany him into a war meeting. 

Zuko offers Aoi to come too but Aoi declines in favor of playing with Azula. 

Zuko comes back, pale and green-faced as he tells his older brother that he was challenged to an Agni Kai. 

Aoi spends the night in the library, pouring over scrolls about the ceremony. He finds an old ritual that he could use if he got desperate. 

That was the last night that Aoi was alive. 


	2. The Agni Kai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoi was not going to let his adopted father kill his baby brother. Zuko learned his morals from his older brother and will follow them.

Zuko’s hands shake as he is dressed for the Agni Kai. He feels like throwing up. 

“Zuko,” Aoi stands in the entrance to his younger brother’s bedroom. “Breathe.”

Zuko takes a deep breath, feeling a little more at ease with his older brother. Aoi draped a careful arm around Zuko’s shoulders. 

“I’m scared,” Zuko confessed to Aoi.

“You’re only going against the general, right?” Aoi inquired as he gives his brother a squeeze. “You got this. And if you need me then I have your back. I swear on Agni, as your brother, that you will be okay.”

Zuko blinked up at Aoi and nods warily. “Okay.”

Aoi walks with Zuko to the arena. “Everything will be okay,” Aoi promised. “I’ll be in the crowd.”

Zuko nods and Aoi joins the other nobles in the crowd. 

Aoi’s stomach drops when instead of the old general, Zuko is left facing Ozai. 

Aoi curled his fingers into fists to try and stay in place. Zuko falls to his knees and begs and pleads for mercy. How he was sorry. He didn’t mean to. 

Ozai grabs the front of Zuko’s robes and holds a flaming hand up. 

Ozai’s hand makes contact with Zuko’s face and Zuko screams. 

Aoi can’t sit anymore. Ozai lets Zuko go and the boy curled up into a whimpering ball. 

Ozai raised his hand to deliver the finishing blow. 

“I volunteer as tribute on behalf of Agni!” Aoi screams and the crowd goes silent. Ozai hesitates and heads turned to look at him. Aoi was using the ritual that he read about the night before. He was stepping in for Zuko. 

Aoi steps forward carefully, feeling eyes follow him up to the ring. He passes into the arena and takes a stance in front of his baby brother who had fallen unconscious. 

“You are making a mistake, boy,” Ozai’s words are hissed through clenched teeth. “You are an Earthbender, not a Firebender.”

“Then I won’t use my Earthbending,” Aoi stands straight and looked his father in the eye. “To death or dishonor.”

“To death or dishonor,” Ozai nods his head and takes his stance, flames licking at his palms. 

Aoi knew that he wasn’t going to win. He was going to die here. But Ozai wouldn’t be able to kill Zuko after his death so it would be worth it. 

Having sparred with his siblings, Aoi could duck and weave from fire but he couldn’t leave his brother open. Aoi stands tall, fists curled as he tries to remember how to breathe. 

He glances into the crowd where he can see Uncle with wide, worried eyes. 

Then, to his despair, he sees Azula with carefully masked horror on her face as she stands with Ty Lee and Mai. 

Aoi braced himself as the fight started. 

It ends just as quickly. Ozai wanted to get up close and personal. Aoi felt fear as Ozai loomed over him. 

Ozai doesn’t scream at him to fight like Zuko. He raised a flaming palm and Aoi felt a tear trickle down his cheek, quickly evaporating with the heat. 

Ozai doesn’t make the same mistake as before. His flaming hands punch as Aoi’s torso and the world is sent into a blinding white. 

The fire was so hot that it was cold. Aoi doesn’t remember falling but he clumsily pulls himself to sit upwards, crawling to protect his brother. 

“You were a mistake,” Ozai comments, eyes cold as he raised his hand for the final blow. 

Aoi makes eye contact with Azula in the crowd and shakily raised a hand up and makes their signal. 

_ I love you _

Azula’s hand trembled as she reached up and pulled her hand into the same symbol.

_ I love you too _

Aoi can’t breathe as Ozai’s hand burned at his chest and throat. He can’t hold back his screaming wails of pain. 

He’s left gasping for air that won’t come as the flames around the ring die down. 

Ozai is done. He turns and stalks off and doesn’t turn back to look at his sons. 

Aoi is left to stare at the ceiling, the room tumbling into swirls as the smell of charred flesh reaches his nose. 

“Nephew,” Uncle appeared at his side, pain in his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

Aoi struggles to rasp in a breath to get the words he needs out. “Zuko… hurt…”

“You are much more injured, nephew,” Uncle comments, tears in his eyes. 

Aoi shakes his head weakly, each turn pulling on burnt skin. They both knew that he wasn’t going to make it. “...sorry…”

“Don’t be,” Uncle smoothed back some of Aoi’s hair. “It will be alright.”

“Zuko,” Aoi insisted. 

“Zuko is being seen by the healers. He will be alright for a few moments,” Uncle promised. 

“Bobo!” Azula had clambered up onto the stage and darted towards him. “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” 

There were tears in Azula’s eyes as she looked him over. “You can’t leave. You’re the oldest, that means you can’t leave!”

Aoi finds it harder to breathe as his skin toughens and can’t expand under the charred flesh on his chest. 

He reaches his hand out towards Azula who grasped it and curled her fingers into his palm. Her hand is still trembling. 

“Tell… Zuko…” Aoi started, gasping for breath. “Proud… of him…”

Azula nods and Uncle continues to stroke his hair. 

“Don’t forget… siblings… forever,” Aoi doesn’t want Azula to forget all that he taught her. His voice is a whisper as he tries to conserve air. 

“I’ll look after Zuzu,” Azula promised before she hesitates and kneels, leaning down to press her forehead to Aoi’s. “Will you look after us from the Spirit World?”

“Promise,” Aoi gives Azula a weak grin and that is how he goes. 

With a smile on his face. 

* * *

Zuko wakes up and the first thing he noticed was that his face throbbed with pain and he couldn’t see out of his left eye. When he reached up his fingers made contact with thick bandages wrapped around his head. 

Zuko spots Uncle at his side. “Uncle?”

“Prince Zuko, you are alright,” There is relief in Uncle’s voice but he looked just like he did when Lu Ten died. 

“Uncle?” Zuko swallows hard, his voice was hoarse from screaming. “Where’s Aoi?”

He vaguely remembers his older brother shouting, standing in front of him, and protecting him from Father.

Uncle doesn’t answer and Zuko feels sick. “Uncle?” He prompted. 

“Prince Aoi gave his life to save yours,” Uncle croaked. “Your father killed him in an Agni Kai.”

Zuko blinks, the pain on his face fading as everything goes numb. His mind whirls around trying to understand the words that just came out of Uncle’s mouth. “You’re lying.”

Uncle had to be lying. Aoi couldn’t be dead. Aoi promised that everything would be okay. Aoi doesn’t lie. 

“I’m sorry,” Uncle replied and Zuko tries to sit up. Uncle pushes on his chest to keep him down but Zuko has to get up. 

“I need to see him,” Zuko insisted, swatting at Uncle’s hand. “I need to see him. Aoi. Aoi! Bobo!”

But Aoi doesn’t answer his calls. Zuko can’t breathe. “Where’s Azula?”

“Your sister is resting,” Uncle assured him. “She’s safe.”

“Where’s my brother? Where’s Aoi?” Zuko demanded, scrambling to sit up again. 

“They are preparing his body for burial. Your father has disowned him so he will be buried with the rest of the common Fire Nation people,” Uncle sounded so sad and tired. 

“I wanna see him,” Zuko needed to see his brother before he was buried in the ground. Uncle finally lets him sit up. “Where’s my brother?”

Uncle helps Zuko walk to the next room. Azula is there, curled up in a chair, and sleeping next to a cot. 

If Zuko didn’t know any better, he would think that Aoi was merely sleeping. Aoi’s face was calm and relaxed but too still, his skin pale and his smiling lips tinged blue. 

Uncle helps Zuko make his way towards the body and Azula darts upright, a flame in her hand and ready to defend the body of her brother. If flickers out when she sees Zuko and Uncle. 

“Aoi,” Zuko croaked, leaning heavily on the bed as he reached a shaking hand towards his older brother’s face. “Why? Why would you do that?”

The knife that Zuko had given him for his birthday was still strapped to his leg. He hadn’t used it during the Agni Kai. 

“Bobo,” Zuko feels tears roll down his cheeks and burn his would but he can’t help it. He dissolves into a sobbing pile as his fingers curl into the white sheet covering his brother’s body. “I need you. I need you. You can’t go. I can’t be the oldest again.”

Uncle holds Zuko close. Zuko feels a small hand tug at his uniform and looks down at Azula who has a watery frown on her face. Zuko wrapped his arms around his younger sister who also fell into wails. 

Zuko then squirmed in Uncle’s grip and turned to look at him, shoving his grip off as he held Azula close with one arm. “Why didn’t you stop him?!” 

“Nephew,” Uncle started and reached for him but Zuko shoves at him. 

“Why did my brother step up to stop Father but you didn’t?” Zuko demanded, wavering weakly where he stood. Uncle reaches out to steady him but Zuko slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me!” 

“I never thought that--” Uncle started but Zuko’s face was contorted with anger. 

“If you made him stop then Aoi wouldn’t be-- wouldn’t be dead! It’s all your fault!” Zuko lashed out and he could feel Azula’s grip on him tighten. 

“I am so sorry,” Uncle’s voice was thick with grief. 

“Father burned my face and you let him. Aoi challenged Father and you let him. Father killed Aoi and you let him!” Zuko screeched, very unbefitting for a prince but very suitable for a grieving child. “Are you going to let Father hurt Azula? Are you going to let Father kill me? Huh?” 

Uncle was crying now and Zuko didn’t feel bad at all. His tunic was getting wet from where Azula had pressed her face into his side. 

Zuko’s good eye landed on his brother’s uncovered face. He could now see bits of Aoi’s uniform burnt into his skin, peeking out from beneath the thin white sheet. 

Zuko threw up. 

Why did he get burned and live but his brother had to die? It wasn’t fair. 

It just wasn’t fair. 

* * *

Ozai doesn’t attend his son’s funeral. Nobody except Uncle, Zuko, and Azula was there. The common people were forbidden from attending and grieving. 

Zuko was the crown prince now, the next in line for the throne. He had once wanted it more than anything. 

Now he would trade it if it meant he got his brother back. 

That night, Azula snuck into his room and Zuko lifted the sheets as Aoi used to do. Azula clambered onto his bed and snuggled close to him, needing to feel that her other sibling was safe. 

“Lala?” Zuko whispered to Azula. 

“Zuzu,” Azula replied, ensuring that she was listening. 

“I want to leave, will you come with me?” Zuko had been planning on it since the dirt covered his brother as he was refused a proper send-off. 

“Leave where?” Azula looked up at him with confusion. “There is nowhere to go.”

“Anywhere but here,” Zuko squeezed his eyes shut. “Please come with me.”

“Just you and me?” Azula confirmed and Zuko nods. Azula thinks about it for a few moments before nodding. “Okay.”

The servant goes to wake the prince the following morning only to discover his bed empty and possessions missing. The princess’s room is in a similar state. 

Guards are sent out to search the palace but there is no sign of the siblings. 

Uncle was the one to check Aoi’s room and discovered a few of Aoi’s things were missing as well. Namely some of his clothes and a few trinkets. The photo that Aoi had on his desk of him and his siblings at Ember Island was gone as well. 

Deep in his grieving heart, Uncle knew that they were gone. 

Perhaps that was for the best. 

  
  
  



	3. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko and Azula won't allow their father to keep the throne.

Zuko and Azula travel the world and experience everything that it has to offer. They go from being nobles to refugees and they don’t mind. They roam around for three years until Azula is fourteen and Zuko is sixteen, the same age that Aoi was when he passed. 

When the news of the Avatar comes, the siblings know that they cannot let their father get his hands on the Avatar. So the siblings seek him out and offer to teach him firebending. 

The Avatar and his group aren’t very trusting at first. So Zuko tells them the story about how he once had an older brother. How their father murdered him in cold blood without any hesitation. How a man like that cannot remain on the throne. 

When the Avatar has a problem with balance while firebending, Zuko steps up. 

“I used to have problems balancing too,” Zuko tells Aang softly. 

“How did you fix it?” Aang questioned, looking up at Zuko with frustration upon not being able to balance correctly. 

“My brother taught me some Kata’s he knew,” Zuko confessed. “In fact, he made them up.”

“Wasn’t your brother an Earthbender? How did the kata’s for an Earthbender help you?” Aang asked, treading lightly. The whole group knew that whenever Azula or Zuko talked about their brother to not make a big deal out of it. 

“Other forms of bending can help with a greater understanding of your own. Here, follow me,” Zuko teaches Aang the set of katas the exact same way that his brother taught him. 

* * *

Whenever they had to separate, Azula and Zuko would flash the sign they made up at each other. 

Sokka finally had to ask what it was about. 

“Why do you do that?” Sokka blurts as Zuko lowered his hand from the sign. 

“It’s a sign our brother made up. It means ‘i love you’,” Azula replied. “The Fire Lord hated when we expressed our love. Said it made us weak so Bobo made a sign.”

“Bobo?” Toph repeats and Azula realized she had said her brother’s nickname rather than his actual name. 

“That’s what we called him,” Zuko was calm. “Azula was ‘Lala’. I was ‘Zuzu’. Aoi was ‘Bobo’ because we couldn’t think of anything like ours.”

“Bobo doesn’t make any sense,” Sokka comments, and Katara smacks him on the back of the head. 

“It’s a nickname,” Azula glared at him. “It doesn’t have to make sense.”

* * *

When the gang goes to see the Ember Island players, they don’t expect to see the Agni Kai. 

Zuko and Azula are horrified as their counterparts are on stage alongside ‘Aoi’ and ‘Ozai’. 

‘Zuko’ had flopped onto the floor in a mimic of a tantrum, refusing to fight the Firelord as he wailed. ‘Azula’ had grinned. ‘Ozai’ pressed his hand of red streamers into ‘Zuko’s face and the crowd is silent. 

“I volunteer as tribute because you’re a dick!” ‘Aoi’ stands tall, extreme hubris in his tone. “You are not worthy as a king!” 

‘Ozai’ kills ‘Aoi’ with one blow and the crowd cheers. 

Zuko leaves to throw up behind the building. 

That night, they converse about the play and how horrible it was. 

“They acted like I was some weak little girl,” Katara grumbled, folding her arms. 

“They acted like Aoi was a spoilt brat who deserved to die for challenging the Fire Lord,” Zuko tacked on and the group goes quiet. 

“What really happened, then?” Toph asked and ignored Katara hitting her arm. 

Zuko looked at Azula before he talked about what happened that led to the Agni Kai. Once he reaches the point where Ozai burned his face, Azula takes over. She described how Aoi didn’t dare leave Zuko open. How he cried before Ozai burned him. 

Azula said that he died with a smile. 

Nobody smiled that night. 

* * *

Mai and Ty Lee knew Aoi. The boy was like an older brother to them too. When they spent the night at the palace with Azula, the girl woke them up. 

“Come on,” Azula waves her hand and they follow her through the hall until they come across Aoi’s bedroom. 

Azula opened the door and entered. Aoi was flopped on his bed, deep asleep. 

“Bobo,” Azula poked Aoi’s cheek. “Get up.”

Aoi jerked awake and blinked sleepily at Azula. “Lala? What’s wrong?”

“I wanna show Ty Lee and Mai the stars but I can’t remember all the stories,” Azula tells him and Aoi yawned as he nods and stands up. “Okay.”

Aoi looked down at Mai and Ty Lee. “Do either of you mind getting dirty?”

“I hate getting dirty,” Mai comments as Ty Lee shakes her head. 

Aoi pulled Azula up in one arm and Mai was startled when he scooped her up with his other. 

“Let’s go,” Aoi led Ty Lee through the halls until they reached the courtyard. They make their way through the grass until they reach a bench and Aoi sets Mai and Azula down, reaching and pulling Ty Lee up onto it as well. 

Aoi was beyond tired but Azula’s grin on her face was enough to push past. He crouched in front of the trio of girls and began to point and tell the story of each constellation. 

Ty Lee ends up falling asleep slouched against Aoi. 

“We’ve been out here long enough,” Aoi finally comments when the girls can’t stop yawning every few moments. “Azula, climb onto my back, okay?”

Azula wrapped her limbs around Aoi’s back as he stood with Ty Lee in one arm. He reached out and pulled Mai up with his other, grunting at the weight of the three girls. Azula and Mai walk on their own when they are indoors once more. Aoi takes them back to the room they were sharing for the night. He tucked Ty Lee in before moving to Azula and doing the same. 

“Thanks, Bobo,” Azula mumbled as Aoi pulled the blanket over her. 

“No problem, Lala,” Aoi pressed a kiss to his sister’s forehead before he moved to Mai and tucked her in as well. 

That was the first time that Mai and Ty Lee really got to know Aoi. 

Whenever they came over, Aoi would be spotted infrequently. 

“You know,” Aoi startled Mai who hadn’t heard him coming. “I see how you look at my brother.”

Mai doesn’t have a comment for him. 

“He likes you too,” Aoi grinned at her, ruffling her hair. 

Mai smoothed her hair back into her buns but she can’t get it straight. 

“Sorry,” Aoi laughed softly. “Here. Let me help you.” Aoi helps Mai neatly pin her hair back up. 

“What should I do about him?” Mai finally asked. 

“That is up to you,” Aoi shrugged with indifference. “If you want to tell them then do it. If you don’t want to then don’t.”

“What do you think I should do?” Mai tilts her head and looked up at Aoi. 

“Whatever makes you happy,” Aoi reached out and squeezed her shoulders. 

“Nobody cares about what makes me happy,” Mai can’t help but comment. 

“I do,” Aoi looked down at her. “What will make you happy?”

“Tell him,” Mai had to take a few moments to think. 

“Then tell him,” Aoi nods. “You’ve got my approval.”

Mai ends up confessing her feeling to Zuko who awkwardly confirms that he feels the same way and the share a peck on the lips. 

Aoi won’t stop teasing them.

* * *

Ty Lee liked Azula a little more than should be proper. 

“Hey,” Aoi was a very tactile person as Ty Lee and Mai quickly learned. Aoi scooped Ty Lee up, dangling her upside down as he tickled her stomach. 

Ty Lee shrieks with laughter as she squirms and Aoi finally puts her down. 

“You looked like you were doing some heavy thinking there,” Aoi finally comments as he moved to sit next to her. “Cooper piece for your thoughts?”

“What do you think about relationships of the same gender?” Ty Lee blurts, her face turning red. 

“Well,” Aoi scratched his head awkwardly. “You love who you love. If you like somebody and they make you happy then that is all that matters.”

“You don’t think it’s… wrong?” Ty Lee can’t help but inquired, nervously tugging on her braid. 

“No,” Aoi shakes his head and moved to wrap a comforting arm around Ty Lee. “While my father may think it is wrong and disgusting, I think that your happiness is all that matters. Do you like someone?”

Ty Lee ducks her head to cover the pink flush that overcomes her face. 

“Is it my sister?” Aoi questioned and Ty Lee’s head jolts up to stare at him with disbelief. Aoi laughed slightly. “I think she likes you too.”

“What should I do about it?” Ty Lee helplessly asked. 

“Azula won’t tell you the truth because she’s afraid of what Father would think if he heard she liked another girl,” Aoi confessed, eyes darting around for prying ears. “But if you tell her how you feel then you might be able to come to a compromise.”

Ty Lee thanked him profusely and cartwheeled off to go think some more. 

Aoi was dead two weeks later. 

* * *

Mai and Ty Lee join Azula and Zuko on their journey shortly after they joined the Avatar. 

They settle in nicely with the group and are free to continue their relationships without judgment. 

When Zuko is seventeen, officially older than Aoi, and Azula if fifteen, Ozai is defeated. 

Aang takes away his bending and Ozai laughed at seeing his two missing heirs. 

“You’re pathetic,” Ozai cackled. 

“You killed our brother,” Zuko comments, glaring down at what once used to be his father. 

“He deserved it,” Ozai comments and ended up in prison with a broken jaw. 

Zuko is named Fire Lord and named Azula as Fire Lady and they rule together. 

The siblings build a shrine to their brother in the courtyard by the Turtle-duck pond. They also have a statue erected and placed at the gates where all can see it. 

_ Aoi, the crowned prince of the Fire Nation _

_ Beloved brother who taught us to never forget who we are  _

_ And to protect those we love _

Zuko ends up marrying Mai and is the first to have a child, an heir to the throne. 

He has a son. A bouncing baby boy. 

Upon first holding his son, Zuko can see a pale pink patch on his son’s chest, a birthmark that vaguely resembles the hand motion that Aoi taught them to show love.

Zuko named him Aoi Izumi after his brother. Zuko will not let his son not know who he was named after. 

Azula, now free to love who she wants and not fear Ozai, ends up marrying Ty Lee. They end up adopting two children from the Earth Kingdom. Hatsuka Mio and Tatsuo Kazue are siblings who had been orphaned. A brother and a sister who hadn’t ended up adopted because they refused to be separated. 

They end up coming from the same orphanage that Aoi had been adopted from. 

The Firebending siblings grow older but never forgot the lessons that their older brother taught them. They rule fairly and justly. They try to make their older brother proud. 

And from the Spirit World, a sixteen-year-old boy with burned clothes follows and watches as his family grows, proud of the world that his younger siblings have made, a smile still on his face.


End file.
